Review of Glucose Revolution by Jessie Inchauspe and results of my own experiment

Jessie Inchauspe's Glucose Revolution: The Life-Changing Power of Balancing Your Blood Sugar promises a lot: no energy drops, a sense of emotional balance during the day, a slimmer body, the fight against many lifestyle diseases, better condition of hair, nails and skin, better sleep and level of rest... and I can continue. What is Jessie's nutrition method and is it effective? I checked it myself.

I bought Jessie's book as soon as it came out. There was no talk of a Polish edition for a long time. Encouraged by one of the interviews with the author, I thought that this was exactly what I was looking for. I suffer from major energy fluctuations throughout the day and all I can say about myself is that my energy level is constant. Flattening the sugar curve could therefore be the answer and a tailor-made solution for me. Years after its initial release and after re-reading the book (audio version for the second time), I decided to give everything Jessie writes about a chance.

The eating style proposed by the author is not very complicated, in fact it is quite simple and requires only a bit of organizational skills. This means you don't have to give up everything and eat a lettuce leaf instead of a steak. And honestly, that convinced me. I have long been guided by the principle that it is not about limiting and eliminating food, but about ensuring as much variety as possible. Of course, depending on your own preferences and possible individual difficulties such as intolerances or allergies.

Jessie gives us her proven ideas that will help flatten the sugar curve. I'll give you three key points, and if you want more details, I refer you to the book.

Key principles for flattening the sugar curve

In the first assumption, the author talks about eating everything, but in the right order (to flatten the sugar curve). The order is as follows:

vegetables → proteins/fats → carbohydrates

ours: first salad, then steak, then potatoes.

Moreover, if you want to eat dessert, follow exactly the same order: vegetables - proteins/fats - dessert (i.e. carbohydrates, usually with fat). If you want to eat dessert alone or with coffee, then yes! you keep the same order, there is no way you can eat the cookies without a meal.

Another rule we learn is to drink a tablespoon of vinegar, e.g. apple cider vinegar diluted in 1 glass of water, 20 minutes before, during or 20 minutes after a meal. Simple step, easy to implement.

The last rule, which turned out to be the most difficult for me, is physical activity immediately after a meal. What does that mean now? Up to 70 minutes. You'll think to yourself: that's a lot. Maybe, but not for me. I usually eat within about an hour, so I have 10 minutes to exercise, and exercise is the last thing I want to do. Luckily, Jessie doesn't tell you to practice acrobatics after lunch, just go for a short walk or a 10-minute strength workout at home. Flattening the sugar curve means that exercised and glucose-fed muscles can better and more easily handle freshly delivered glucose from a meal.

It is worth noting that all policies applied individually tend to flatten the curve somewhat. However, if you use them in combination, you will achieve even better results. Of course, you will achieve the best results if you follow all the rules at every meal.

Results of my own experiment

During two weeks of testing, I decided to give it my all and implement Jessie's assumptions 100%. Here's my quick summary:

difficulty adjusting eating style: 2/10
the easy part: vinegar and water before meals
biggest challenge: physical activity up to 70 minutes after a meal
weight: +0.5 kg
centimeter: +3 cm circumference
sufficient sleep: no change
condition of skin, hair, nails: no changes
Thyroid hormones: unchanged
toilet: no changes
energy level during the day: more sleepiness

As you can see, I didn't lose any weight or anything else changed for the better. What saddened me the most was that my energy levels not only didn't improve, but also got much worse. I couldn't stop falling asleep during the day, which I had control over until the experiment and it didn't happen to me. I don't know where such effects come from, because the promise was the opposite: stable sugar levels equal stable energy.

Can my quasi-study be considered valid? Absolutely not. I didn't measure sugar because I don't think it's necessary in this case. Instead, I measured my well-being because that's what I cared about. You may also think that 2 weeks is not enough. I think that's a lot. We react to food instantly and if something is good for us, it is good for us, and if it is not, we do not have to wait for months for a reaction. In fact, the author herself says that for some people changes happen from day to day (well, actually for me too, overnight I fell asleep on the floor)

Furthermore, upon further reflection, I do not believe that humans are genetically designed to maintain a constant and flat blood sugar curve, any more than they are genetically designed to maintain a constant flat cortisol level. From the point of view of evolution, it was different: once we ate meat, which did not cause a sugar spike, and after a few hours we ate a lot of fruit, which caused a sugar spike. And I think that's why we have sugar control mechanisms to work. I'm not saying to overextend them and eat tiramisu with meringues, but to learn to feel and interpret them. Just get to know yourself.

And this is the constantly sought key to health, both physical and mental.